


The Taste of Peaches

by luvsanime02



Series: Cocktail Friday Fics [14]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cocktail Friday, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-07 01:11:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14069646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luvsanime02/pseuds/luvsanime02
Summary: Relena's had a long day, and so she stops off somewhere for a drink or two.





	The Taste of Peaches

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the March 23rd Cocktail Party prompt: “I recommend vodka.”

**Disclaimer:** I don’t own Gundam Wing, and am making no money off of this fic.

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 **The Taste of Peaches** by luvsanime02

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Relena sits down at the bar, looks ahead, and realizes that she’s just too tired to care what she orders. The bartender is at the other end of the bar still, and instead of looking over her options up on the board, Relena is zoning out at all of the bottles lined up in front of her.

She doesn’t care. Anything will do. She’s too tired to pick, and it doesn’t matter anyway. All Relena wants is to knock back a drink or two and then go home to bed. Alone, thank you very much. She’s had more than enough of the fawning from the single men at her dad’s office, enough of the parties her mom insists that she attend, and that just so happen to include a guest list full of eligible men.

Suddenly, Relena’s vision of the bottles is blocked, and her eyes travel slowly up a slim waist and broad shoulders, until she’s looking into a startling pair of bright green eyes set in a face that wouldn’t be out of place on a Greek statue.

Wow. This guy was definitely the right hiring choice for his position. Who cares if someone can make a drink correctly when they look like that? Relena doesn’t know how long she stares before the bartender smirks and then leans forward, resting his elbows on the bartop (which can’t be sanitary, and she tries not to cringe), and moves close enough so that he doesn’t have to shout at her over the music.

“See something you want?” he asks.

Relena’s broken out of her daze, and she lets out a quiet snort of laughter. What a cheesy line. “Sorry,” she offers, because even if she suspects that he was hired partly for his looks, she was still being rude. “Long day.” Long week. Long month. Long life.

The guy blinks those amazing green eyes, which look even nicer up close where she can see the flecks of amber in them, and then his smirk shifts into a small, soft smile. “It’s fine,” he assures her. “What would you like?” he asks, gesturing behind him to the liquor.

Relena shakes her head. “I don’t even care,” she admits. “Anything. You pick.”

He leans back slightly and gives her an appraising look, and Relena’s too tired to even blush. Then, he nods decisively. “I recommend vodka,” he says, reaching under the bar and getting a glass. “You look like you deserve the good stuff tonight.”

She laughs, just a little. “That sounds fine.”

He shovels some ice into her glass and reaches behind himself without looking, grabs a bottle and pours the drink, and then hands it over all before Relena has quite registered that he’s moving. Well, he’s definitely not just eye candy, then.

“Thanks,” she says, picking up the glass. Briefly, Relena debates sipping from it demurely, but she still doesn’t really care enough to pretend, and so she takes a large swallow instead. It goes down with a burn that feels great, and has a surprisingly peach aftertaste that she adores instantly. She gives the bartender a grateful look. “Great choice.”

He nods again before walking away, and Relena finishes her drink in a very brief amount of time. She doesn’t even have to motion for him to come back over before he’s walking towards her again and picking up the glass. “Another?” he asks quietly.

She’s feeling a little bit better, and agrees. He pours the second drink, and Relena finishes that one even quicker than the first. Again, he stops in front of her, but this time, Relena shakes her head in the negative, even if it is a little reluctantly. She told herself that she was only going to have two drinks and then go home, so that’s what she’s doing.

Pulling out the money for the drinks from her purse, Relena includes a generous tip, and not just because she still feels somewhat guilty about the staring. Even though they didn’t talk much, Relena just had a more meaningful interaction with this bartender than she’s had with anyone else in months.

“Bye,” he says as she stands up.

Relena nods. “Goodbye.” And that’s it, she’s leaving, and maybe she just passed up on an opportunity, or maybe she didn’t, but at least she made a choice. It feels good to decide something about her own life for once. Relena heads out of the club that she only entered in the first place because it’s on her way home and starts walking. She’s not so tired anymore. Maybe she’ll even eat something before crawling into bed.

Either way, and even though she didn’t stay longer or ask out the gorgeous bartender, Relena’s grateful that she wanted to get a drink or two tonight. She heads home with the taste of peaches on her tongue and her lips pleasantly numb, and she doesn’t regret tonight at all.


End file.
